A method of establishing and operating a military logistical support operation by water comprising the steps of
- (a) defining a geographical area of interest within which a logistical support system is to be operated,
- (b) establishing within the area a base port and a plurality of secondary supply ports, and an overall route over which cargo is to be moved so that the route is comprised of a plurality of subroutes each of which connects an adjacent pair of ports and at least one of the ports is a terminus for two adjacent subroutes, there being at least two subroutes in the route between at least one of the secondary ports and the base port,
- (c) providing at least as many standardized modular cargo hold units as there are total ports established in the defined area, the hold units being of generally uniform external configuration and dimension over at least the lower portions thereof,
- (d) providing at least as many self-propelled hold unit shuttle vessels as there are subroutes established in the defined area, the shuttle vessels each being arranged to mate interchangeably with and buoyantly support a hold unit, each shuttle vessel being sized relative to a hold unit such that a loaded hold unit constitutes a substantial fraction of the load-carrying capacity of the vessel,
- (e) during normal conditions within the defined area operating the vessels and the hold units by a procedure which includes the steps of
- (i) assigning each shuttle vessel to a specific subroute to operate back and forth between the ports constituting the termini of the specific subroute,
- (ii) dispatching from the base port to each secondary port in the area loaded hold units each containing cargo and the like destined only for a particular destination secondary port,
- (iii) moving the loaded hold units from the base port to corresponding destination secondary ports via the shuttle vessels assigned to the subroutes terminating at the base port and, in the case where a destination secondary port is removed from the base port by a plurality of subroutes and at least one intermediate secondary port, by
- (1) transferring the hold unit in a first intermediate secondary port nearest the base port from a first shuttle vessel assigned to the subroute of which the base port is a terminus to a second shuttle vessel assigned to the next subroute toward the destination port,
- (2) moving the hold unit toward its destination port by operating the second shuttle vessel along its subroute, and
- (3) repeating steps (1) and (2) above in each additional intermediate secondary port between the first intermediate port and the destination port so that the hold unit is moved along each subroute between the base port and the destination port by the shuttle vessels for the respective subroutes, and
- (iv) removing from a hold unit cargo and the like contained therein only on arrival of the hold unit at its destination port for which all cargo therein is destined, and
- (f) during abnormal conditions in the defined area during which a particular port in the area has special significance and supply requirements, supplying the particular port from the remaining ports in the area via shuttle vessels other than the shuttle vessels normally associated with the particular port.